Rahul Dravid has denied signing an extension of contract as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, a few days after the BCCI announced that he had.
What is the backdrop?
Dravid took over from Ravi Shastri as India’s head coach for the first two years after the 2021 T20 World Cup. His tenure ended this month with the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup.
Under his leadership, India won the Asia Cup in 50 overs that year and reached the World Cup final after playing all the first 10 matches of the tournament. They also reached the final of the World Test Championship, but lost to Australia at the Oval.
What did the BCCI say?
On November 29, BCCI announced that Dravid and other members of the support team had been offered contract extensions. The statement said Dravid “unanimously agreed” to remain in office even after his contract expires after the World Cup final.
BCCI’s press release states: “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the contract extension of head coach Rahul Dravid and the support staff of the Indian team (senior men). After the contract period ended, we had productive discussions with Rahul Dravid and unanimously agreed to extend the contract period.”
BCCI did not say how long his contract would be extended.
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What has Dravid said?
According to
PTI, Dravid has not yet signed or extended his contract and is only negotiating. “I have not signed a contract with BCCI yet, but we have discussed employment.” He also admitted that he intends to sign once he receives the documents from the board.
Given the conflicting statements, has Dravid agreed to a contract extension as per the BCCI statement or is he not signed yet and just wants to extend his tenure until India gets a new head coach? remains unclear.
BCCI reportedly offered Gujarat Titans’ current head coach Ashish Nehra a coaching job, but he declined.
India is currently involved in a T20I series against Australia, which is being coached by VVS Laxman. Laxman is currently the chairman of the NCA (National Cricket Academy) but often steps in as interim coach in Dravid’s absence.
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